The present invention relates to road scraping devices and specifically to a reversible apparatus that has variable features that allow it to be customized to level or grade different types and conditions of roads.
A common problem in rural or undeveloped areas is to have uneven dirt and gravel roads. The roads may be rutted or have pot holes. Portions of a road may be washed out by various weather conditions. There may be natural ground shifts that cause unevenness, for instance, the freeze/thaw conditions that are prevalent in many areas. Also, soft roads may become xe2x80x9ccorrugatedxe2x80x9d or rippled over time.
There are several solutions to the foregoing uneven road problems. The most thorough solution is simply to pave the roadway. This alternative is expensive and time consuming. Significant road preparation is required. Another solution is the constant addition or replenishment of new gravel and dirt onto a road. Again, this is potentially very expensive and typically requires reasonably heavy equipment.
The most common solution to the uneven road problem is to mount a blade on a vehicle or to drag a blade behind a vehicle to scrape the dirt and/or gravel to make a road level. These blades may be a single blade or multiple blades. They are usually preset with respect to their angle of scraping the ground. These blades are unidirectional in that they are operable in a single direction and must be pulled or mounted in only one way. This unidirectional aspect means a conventional scraper must be turned around at a dead end of a road, which can be a difficult task on a narrow road.
Many known blade assemblies are not variable. The blade angle and the blade width are conventionally preset. Also, the weight of a dragged device is typically predetermined. These prior art assemblies are usually very stiff, so they can hang up on roots or large stones, thereby causing potential damage to an assembly. The traditional blades also typically have a specialized hitch assembly, for instance, to a tractor. Each of the foregoing limitations makes the leveling or crowning of a driveway or any unpaved road a difficult task.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to overcome the foregoing drawbacks and provide a reversible road scraper. The present device may be pulled by virtually any vehicle from either end of the assembly. Also, the weight, width and blade angle of the assembly may be varied to allow a user to customize the assembly for a particular road condition. Other improvements include the use of springs to allow the blades that scrape the road to move or recoil in the vertical direction so that they do not hang up on roots or rocks or other objects that could damage the scraper assembly. The assembly may also include an edger blade to keep the side of a road well defined and clear from, for instance, encroaching weeds and plants.
In a preferred embodiment, the reversible road scraper comprises a central beam, a first side beam, and a plurality of blades. The central beam comprises a first end and a second end with a connector at each end. The first side beam is disposed on one side of the central beam and is substantially parallel thereto. The plurality of blades each comprise two ends. The blades are hingedly attached at each end to the central and first side beams. Each blade comprises two edgesxe2x80x94one edge angled generally towards the first end of the central beam and the other edge angled generally towards the second end of the central beam. A variable adjuster is connected to the central beam and to the plurality of blades. The road scraper may further comprise a second side beam disposed on the other side of the central beam from the first side beam. The second side beam is substantially parallel to the central beam. A plurality of blades, each comprising two ends, are hingedly attached at each end to the central and second side beams. Each blade comprises two edgesxe2x80x94one edge angled generally towards the first end of the central beam, and other edge angled generally towards the second end of the central beam. The scraper may further comprise springs that are adapted to connect each end of each blade to the central and side beam respectively. Also, one end of the side beam may comprise an edger blade. Still further, the scraper may further comprise a variable ballast.
In a further embodiment, a reversible road scraper comprises a frame and a plurality of blades. The frame comprises a first end and a second end and further comprises two beams. Each end of the frame comprises a connector. The plurality of blades each comprise two ends, the blades attached at each end to the two beams. Each blade comprises two edgesxe2x80x94one edge angled generally towards the first end of the frame and the other edge angled generally towards the second end of the frame. The blades may be fixedly attached to the two beams. The blades may be oriented substantially perpendicular to the beams. The two beams may be substantially parallel to each other. One of the beams may comprise an edger blade. The frame may further comprise a variable ballast.
In still a further embodiment, a reversible road scraper comprises a beam comprising first and second ends. A connector is included at each end of the beam. The scraper further includes a plurality of blades comprising two ends, the blades attached at one end to the beam. Each blade comprises two edges, one edge angled generally toward the first end of the beam and the other edge angled generally towards the second end of the beam. The blades may be fixedly attached to the beam. There may be a blade attached to each side of the beam. Further, a variable ballast may be mounted on the beam.